Generally, a refrigerator is one of daily necessaries, i.e. an appliance in which food can be kept at a fresh state for a long time or can be frozen by lowering an inside temperature using a refrigerant that repeatedly undergoes a refrigeration cycle of compression-condensation-expansion-evaporation.
A currently available large-sized refrigerator is provided with a dispenser for allowing ice or water stored in the refrigerator to be taken out without opening a refrigerator door. Therefore, such a dispenser can prevent cold air in a refrigerator from escaping to the outside and contribute to the convenience of a user.
In a general refrigerator provided with a dispenser as shown in FIG. 1, a dispenser 3 is mounted onto a front surface of a refrigerator door 2.
Further, the dispenser 3 includes an actuating layer 5 for operating to discharge water and ice, a water trough 7 provided on the lower side thereof, and a discharge portion 9 corresponding to a water supplying space.
FIG. 2 schematically illustrates the configuration of a conventional dispenser 3. Referring to this figure, a switch 17 for applying electric power to supply water is provided at a position corresponding to an upper portion of the actuating lever 5, and the actuating lever 5 is pivoted about a hinge axis 18 in a front and rear direction within a radius of operation. At this time, when a lower end of the actuating lever 5 is pivoted rearward by an external force, an upper end of the actuating lever 5 is pivoted forward about the hinge axis 18 to operate the switch 17.
The aforementioned dispenser 3 is configured in such a manner that if a user inserts a vessel 19 for containing water into the discharge portion 9 and also pushes the actuating lever 5, both electrodes of the switch 17 are connected with each other and electric power is then applied to a pump 16.
If the electric power is applied to the pump 16, a suction force is generated such that water stored in a water tank (not shown) is discharged through a discharge port 15 and then filled into the vessel 19.
On the other hand, if a force pressing the actuating lever 5 is removed, the actuating lever 5 is restored to its original position by an elastic member (not shown) and the switch 17 is disconnected. Therefore, the operation of the pump 16 is stopped, and thus, the discharge of water through the discharge port 15 is terminated.
However, such a switching structure of a conventional dispenser has the following problems.
That is, if a user intends to take water in the vessel 19 using the dispenser 3 mounted with the actuating lever 5, he/she should push the vessel 19 into the water supplying space by a certain distance and pivot the actuating lever 5. At this time, if the length L of the actuating lever 5 becomes shorter, a radius of rotation S is decreased but a relatively large external force is required. On the contrary, if the length L of the actuating lever 5 becomes longer, a relatively small external force is enough to pivot the actuating lever 5 but a radius of rotation S is increased. Accordingly, since a space sufficient to pivot the actuating lever 5 is necessary in the discharge portion 9, a total space occupied by the dispenser 3 is increased, and thus, a storage space in a refrigerator will be reduced.